Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-10-22

those days, especially outside the coach,
and for q poor man not incumbered with
too many wraps. However, I arrived at
length. and found myself in the streets
that are supposed to be paved with gold,
with a couple of sovereigns in my pocket.
But l was brimful Of hope. London
was a kindly stepmother, who received
adopted sons by the thousand, and led
them to fame and wealth. I thought Of
Garrick, Of Dick Wilmington and all the
rest who came up to town poorer, far
poorer than myself, and took comfort. I
secured a lodging ct . modest rent, and
made my way to Drury Lans-the stage
door. D..
found no opening at Drury Lane; not
even q vacant for a supernumerary.
1898, n ! found the same thing every.
where-more applications than places to
give.
I tried the Greenwich and the Rich.
mond theatres with the same Ill success.
Then I endeavored to get a country en-.
gagement, but I even failed there. I had
no friends to recommend me, and my
single experience with Kerrans' strollinR
troupe did not tell SO much in my favor
as I had hoped.
My ambition naturally took d town
flight. l had intended to make nv an
pearance on the metropolitan stage as
Romeo, my iavorite part, and at once to
take the town by storm. I was prepared
to give them IN intelligent and novel In
depreciation of Hamlet. And I was not
unwilling to undertake Macbeth, Othello.
Or wen Prince Hal.
When these hopes became evidently
grounded on nothing but the baseless
fabrication of q dream, I resolved on be-
ginning with second parts. Horatio,
Mercutio, Paris, were, after all, charac-
tiers worthy the work Of o rising artist.
Again there seemed no chance.
The stage always wants young men Of
general utility. I would 60 anywhere
and take anything. I offered to do so,
but although hopes were held ont to mo
by the theatrical agent, somehow he had
nothing at the moment In his Gift.
Nothing; not even q vacancy for o ira
gedian at Richardson's show; not even q
chance for Bartholomew fair.
1t took me a fortnight to run down the
scale from Hamlet, say, to Francis, the
warder. While 1 passed through this de-
scending ganlut 6 ambition my two SOW
ereigns were melting away with q rapidlty
quite astonishing.
The rent took five shillings; that was
paid in advance. Then I was e~xtrava-
giant in the matter of eating, and took
three meals a day, finding that not enough
to satisfy my vigorous appetite. Once or
twice, too, l paid for admission to the pit,
and saw, with a sinking heart, what real
acting means. My heart failed, because I
perceived that I had to begin all over
again, and from the very bottom of the
ladder.
Then I had to buy Il new pair of boots.
1t was always u /. cnh>e to me, the rapid
wearing out Of leather.
And then there was something else; and
then n morning I found myself without
a sixpence in my pocket. And then l be-
gan for the first time to become seriously
alarmed about the future.
I had n or two things which l could
pawn-a watch, q waistcoat, a few odds
and ends In the way Of wardrobe and a
few ~books-on the proceeds Of tho N l
lived for a whole week; but at last, after
spending twopence in the purchase of u
penny loaf and q saveloy for breakfast, l
found myself not only penniless, but also
without the Of procuring another
penny At all, because / had nothing left to
pawn.
Many a young fellow has found himself
in u similar p~redicament, but ! doubt
whether any M ever became so desper-
ately hungry rs I did on that day. l
recollect that, having rashly eaten up my
sausage before 8 O'Clock, l felt n sinking
toward II; it was aggravated by tho
savory smell Of roast meat which steamed
from the cook shops and dining rooms as
l walked along the streets. About |
O'Clock l gazed with malignant envy on
the happy clerks who could 20 in and
order platefuls OF tho roast and boiled
which smoked in tho windows, and threw
q perfume more delicious than tho sweet
est strains of music into the streets where
l fingered and looked. And at 9 / OBJ
served the diners come out again, walk
ing more slowly, but with an upright and
satisfied air, while 1.-THE sinking had
been succeeded by a dull, gnawing pain
was slowly doubling up. At 2:3O 1 felt
as If I could bear it no longer. 1 had
been walking about, trying different Offices
for o clerkship. l might as well have
asked for a partnership. But I could
walk no more. I leaned against u post
it was in Bucklersbury-opposite a dining
room, where hares, fowls and turkeys
were piled in the window among a bound
less prodigality and wealth OF carrots,
turnips and cauliflowers, till my senses
swan at the contemplation. Ilonged for
q caldron in which to put the whole con-
tents of the shop front, and eat them at
one G~argantuan repast. My appetite,
already alluded to, was hereditary; one of
the few things l al remember of my
mother was a constant complaint that my
father used to eat her vi of house and
home. To be sure, from other scraps of
information handed down by tradition, I
have reason to believe that the word eat
ing was used as a figure Of apcech-the
part for the whole-and included drink
ing. was good at both, and as q trench
erman l had been unsurpassed, as l said
above, in the company, the dear old COM
pany among whom I have so often eaten
beefsteak and fried onions with Juliet.
The door Of the place opened now and
then to let q hungry ~ enter or a full
man go out, and I caught a glimpse Of the
interior. Dining rooms were not called
restaurants in those days. They had no
gliding, no bright paint, no pretty bar
maids, and no silver plated forks and
spoons. Nor were they brilliant with
gas. All London-that. is, all working
London-dined before 4 O'Clock; the
clerks from - to 2, and the principals,
except a few of the bigwigs, from 2 to 4.
The cheaper rooms were like ono or two
places still to be found in Fleet street.
There were sanded floors, there were hard
benches; you had your beer out Of pewter,
not plated tankards; there Yves no cheap
claret, and the popular ideal of wine was
q strong and fiery port. Also, candles
stood upon the tables-not wax candles,
but tallow, with long wicks which re-
quired snufing. They dropped q good
deal Of mutton fat about the table, and it